THE 

NEW  THEATRE 


X 


/ 


THE  NEW  THEATRE 


THE 

NEW  THEATRE 

NEW  YORK 


NOVEMBER  SIXTH 
M    C    M    I    X 


A(^^{i>M 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Founders  and  Officers 6 

The  Staff 7 

Sonnet, — by  Richard  Watson  Gilder 8 

The  New  Theatre — Its  Purposes  and  Plans    ....  g 

Origins 15 

The  Building 20 

The  Stage 21 

The  Company 26 

The  Producing  Staff 44 

Ode, — by  Percy  Mackaye 48 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Fagade facing  page  3 

The  Staircase  Corner "  10 

The  Staircase "  12 

The  Grand  Circulation "  16 

The  Auditorium "  18 

The  Ground  Plan page  21 

Plan  of  the  Foyer  Floor "  23 

The  Company      .     .     facing  pages  26,  30,  32,  34,  38,  40,  42 

The  Producing  Staff facing  page  44 

The  Colored  Illustrations  are  by  Jules  Guerin  and  are  reproduced  here 
by  the  kind  permission  of  Collier'' s  Weekly 


fiSl  UBRAR^ 


THE   FOUNDERS  OF 
THE  NEW  THEATRE 


JoHX  Jacob  Astor 
George  F.  Baker 
Edmund  L.  Baylies 
August  Belmont 

CORTLANDT   FlELD   BiSHOP 

Frederick  G.  Bourne 
Alexander  S.  Cochran 
Paul  D.  Cravath 
William  B.  Osgood  Field 
Henry  Clay  Frick 
Elbert  H.  Gary 
George  J.  Gould 
Eliot  Gregory 
Archer  M.  Huntington 
James  Hazen  Hyde 


Ernest  Iselin 
Arthur  C.  James 
Otto  H.  Kahn 
W.  DE  Lancey  Kountze 
Clarence  H.  Mackay 
J.  PiERPONT  Morgan 
James  Stillman 
Hamilton  McK.  Twombly 
Robert  B.  Van  Cortlandt 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt 
William  K.  Vanderbilt 
Henry  Walters 
Harry  Payne  Whitney 
M.  Orme  Wilson 
Henry  Rogers  Winthrop 


THE  OFFICERS 

President 
William  K.  Vanderbilt 

Vice  Presidents 
Clarence  H.  Mackay        William  B.  Osgood  Field 

Treasurer 
Otto  H.  Kahn 

Secretary 
Henry  Rogers  Winthrop 


O-v. 


JO 


WiNTHROP  Ames,  Director 
Lee  Shubert,  Business  Director 
John  Corbin,  Literary  Director 


executive  staff 

E.  E.  Lyons,  Manager 

Van  Ness  Harwood,  Press  Representative 

Claude  L.  Hagen,  Technical  Director 

Jed  F.  Shaw,  Treasurer 


SONNET 

(  READ  AT  THE  LAYING  OF  THE  CORNER  STONE  ) 

BY  RICHARD  WATSON  GILDER 

SHAKESPEARE'S  new  home  is  this;  here,  on  this  stage, 
Here  shall  he  reign  as  first  in  London  town; 
Here  shall  the  passion  of  that  high  renown, 
Embodied  newly,  know  its  ancient  rage. 

Here  shall  the  trembling  heart  of  man  regain 

Its  heritage  of  laughter  and  quick  tears. 

And  find  fresh  courage  to  compel  its  fears, 
And  learn  in  larger  life  a  balm  for  pain. 

Nor  shall  the  master's  spirit  quench  the  blaze 
Of  spirits  new  that  may  new  beauty  wake, 

But  fan  these  to  bright  flame  that  from  new  days 
New  music,  modes  and  majesties  shall  take. 

And  if  a  new-world  Shakespeare  loom  erewhile 

How  swift,  from  that  great  shade,  the  welcoming  smile. 


THE  NEW  THEATRE 

ITS  PURPOSES  AND  PLANS 

The  New  Theatre  is  Intended  primarily  as  an  insti- 
tution of  service.  It  is  to  serve  the  cause  of  dramatic 
art  and  so  serve  the  playgoing  public.  It  is  not  sub- 
sidized; but  by  its  constitution  It  may  pay  no  divi- 
dends. Should  profits  accrue,  they  will  be  converted 
to  a  permanent  endowment  fund,  devoted  to  enlarg- 
ing the  scope  of  the  enterprise. 

The  theatre  has  been  regarded  as  a  protest  against 
the  manner  in  which  the  drama  In  America  has 
hitherto  been  conducted.  Nothing  could  be  further 
from  the  intention  of  the  founders.  The  purpose  of 
The  New  Theatre  is  not  to  oppose  the  prevailing  sys- 
tem, but  to  supplement  it.  Specifically,  what  it  in- 
tends Is  to  establish  a  resident  stock  company  and 
to  operate  It  on  a  repertory  basis. 

The  system  of  stars,  long  runs,  and  tours,  which 
In  recent  decades  has  supplanted  the  old  resident 
stock  companies,  has  opened  up  the  drama  to  a  vast 
public  In  every  city  and  town;  but,  in  so  doing,  It 
has  rigidly  confined  the  art  of  acting.  To  recognize 
subtle  shadings  in  impersonation  requires  a  discern- 
ment far  beyond  the  great  mass  of  playgoers;  and 
when  so  long  a  time  of  necessity  elapses  between  an 

l9l 


actor's  successive  tours,  if  he  appears  in  strikingly  dif- 
ferent parts,  it  is  generally  impossible  for  him  to 
gain  any  wide  personal  recognition.  On  the  other 
hand,  this  great  public  responds  immediately  to  a 
familiar  and  beloved  personality.  One  of  the 
shrewdest  of  our  actresses — an  artist  of  considerable 
power— lately  remarked,  and  without  any  sense  of 
the  humor  of  the  situation,  that  an  actor  was  like  a 
patent  medicine  or  a  breakfast  food.  In  order  to 
succeed  he  has  to  impress  himself  on  the  public  mind 
of  every  city  and  town  in  this  broad  land.  Another 
very  distinguished  and  charming  actor  lately  ap- 
peared as  a  waiter  with  a  beard,  and  a  large  propor- 
tion of  his  admirers  took  umbrage  at  what  they 
considered  a  personal  debasement.  In  a  word,  the 
tendency  of  the  prevailing  system  is  to  subordinate 
the  actor's  art  to  his  personality. 

In  the  resident  stock  company  an  actor  can  only 
lose  ground  with  his  public  by  insisting  on  his  per- 
sonality; for  no  charm  is  so  great  that  it  does  not 
tend  to  weary  with  frequent  repetition.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  nothing  delights  the  public  of  a  stock 
company  so  much  as  a  series  of  subtly  differentiated 
impersonations. 

On  the  choice  of  plays  also  the  long-run  system 
has  had  an  unfortunate  effect.  The  fact  that  the 
actor  appears,  not  to  a  chosen  public  in  a  few  large 
cities,  but  to  all  grades  of  playgoers  in  all  sorts  of 
places,  has  made  it  more  difficult  to  gain  a  hearing 
for  plays  of  novelty  and  originality— to  appreciate 
which  requires  special  cultivation  and  susceptibility. 
It  is  as  If,  In  literature,  the  cloth-bound  novel  and 
the  high-class  magazine  had  been  abolished  in  fav^or 
of  the  paper  novel  and  the  ten-cent  Illustrated.     Al- 


MM 


L 


"^m^^ 


A  ?  5 


Copyrtsht,  igog,  by  P.  F.  Collier  &  So. 


fred  Harmsworth,  now  Lord  Northcllffe,  is  reported 
to  have  said  that  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  jour- 
nalistic fortunes  by  having  "East  Lynne"  rewritten 
one  hundred  different  times,  changing  the  names  of 
the  characters  and  the  locale.  The  modern  method 
in  the  theater  is  much  the  same.  In  what  form  have 
we  not  had  the  historical  swash-buckler  and  "The 
Prisoner  of  Zenda"  served  up  to  us  as  what  are 
called  theatrical  novelties? 

Under  the  long-run  system,  moreover,  the  drama, 
like  acting,  tends  to  become  limited  to  the  ex- 
ploitation of  a  single  personality.  This  is  not,  as 
has  often  been  said,  merely  the  result  of  the  vanity 
of  the  star.  It  is  the  result  of  clearly  defined  busi- 
ness conditions.  The  stock-in-trade  of  the  actor, 
and  so  of  his  manager,  is  a  single  personality. 
Everything  that  helps  to  exploit  it  is  a  source  of 
profit,  and  anything  that  detracts  from  it,  or  even 
temporarily  obscures  it,  tends  to  impair  its  value 
as  an  asset.  For  a  star  to  play  unsympathetic  parts 
or  to  allow  a  member  of  his  company  to  share  the 
honors  with  him  is  simply  bad  business  management. 
Under  the  stock  company  system  the  playwright  has 
the  utmost  latitude  both  in  the  choice  of  his  subject 
and  in  the  method  of  treatment.  The  bigger  a  play 
in  theme,  the  broader  and  more  complex  in  its  de- 
velopment, the  more  likely  it  is  to  develop  the  full 
strength  of  the  company  as  a  whole,  and  so  to  de- 
light the  public. 

In  one  respect,  however,  the  stock  company  of  the 
older  type  is  only  a  little  less  rigid  than  the  system 
of  long  runs.  Its  productions  are  made  in  sequence, 
each  running  without  interruption  as  long  as  the 
public  demand  warrants.       It  cannot,    accordingly. 


give  any  great  number  of  plays  in  the  course  of  a 
year,  or  even  in  a  series  of  years.  Moreover,  to 
produce  a  play  which  is  markedly  novel  in  theme, 
or  experimental  in  treatment,  is  hazardous;  for  if 
its  run  is  brief  the  fact  is  obvious,  and  inevitably 
brings  discredit  on  the  company  and  the  author.  The 
New  Theatre  will  base  its  operations  on  a  system 
long  familiar  on  the  Continent,  the  repertory  system. 
It  will  give  no  play,  however  popular,  more  than 
four  performances  a  week,  and  it  will  give  at  least 
three  different  plays  each  week. 

Under  this  repertory  system  it  is  possible  to  give 
yearly  performances  to  a  considerable  body  of 
classics.  At  the  same  time  it  is  possible  to  produce 
plays  of  highly  artistic  merit,  but  of  limited  popular 
appeal,  without  suffering  the  odium  of  failure.  It 
is  the  intention  of  The  New  Theatre  to  produce 
yearly  plays  which  in  all  probability  will  be  given 
only  half  a  dozen  times  in  the  subscription  perform- 
ances. 

At  the  same  time,  the  repertory  system  makes  it 
possible  to  give  a  play  as  many  performances  as  it 
would  have  under  the  long-run  system.  A  popular 
play  can  be  produced  throughout  a  year,  even  two 
years.  And  as  soon  as  it  makes  a  success  in  New 
York  it  can  be  sent  out  on  tour  with  a  separately 
organized  company,  as  is  so  often  done  now  by  the 
commercial  managers.  A  good  play,  moreover, 
stands  a  better  chance  of  success,  even  aside  from  the 
advantages  of  a  stock  company  production.  For 
under  the  long-run  system  when  it  ceases  to  attract 
a  profitable  audience  eight  times  a  week  it  disappears 
forever,  while  under  the  repertory  system  no  such 
test  is  put  upon  its  popularity.     The  performances 


Cofynght,  igog.  hy  P.  F.  Collier  &■  Son. 


decline  gradually  from  four  a  week  to  a  single  per- 
formance. On  the  other  hand,  some  plays,  and  they 
belong  to  a  very  interesting  type,  are  so  novel  and 
so  special  in  their  appeal  that  they  do  not,  as  it  were, 
recruit  their  audiences  from  the  street.  Such  plays, 
as  experience  on  the  Continent  has  shown,  can  be 
nursed  into  success  by  giving  them  more  and  more 
performances  weekly  as  they  find  out  their  peculiar 
public. 

In  a  word,  the  value  of  the  repertory  system  lies 
in  its  extraordinary  flexibility.  While  admitting  of 
the  utmost  variety  of  productions,  classical  and  ad- 
vanced, artistic  and  popular,  it  insures  that  each  pro- 
duction shall  receive  the  number  of  performances 
to  which  its  artistic  merit  and  the  popular  demand 
entitle  it. 

The  management  of  The  New  Theatre  has  made 
it  a  rule  that  one  third  of  its  repertory  shall  be 
classical ;  and  it  defines  a  classic  as  a  play  which  after 
a  hundred  years  is  still  alive  and  welcome  to  the 
public.  In  order  to  qualify  under  this  definition  a 
play  requires  to  have  superlative  vitality.  To  a 
public  of  intelligent  playgoers,  therefore,  it  should 
bring  deep  satisfaction  and  the  heartiest  enjoyment. 

The  other  two  thirds  of  the  repertory  is  to  consist, 
in  part  perhaps,  of  revivals  of  recent  artistic  suc- 
cesses, Continental,  English,  and  American,  and  cer- 
tainly of  new  plays,  preferably  American.  What 
such  plays  lack  in  permanent  vitality  and  universality 
of  appeal,  they  make  up  for  in  modernity— the  ap- 
peal to  our  actual  lives  and  our  personal  feeling. 
The  utility  of  the  classics  is  to  set  high  the  standards 
of  the  playgoing  public,  that  of  more  modern  plays 
to  bring  the  influence  of  the  drama  intimately  home 

1:13] 


to  us.  The  classics  are  the  severely  structural  skele- 
ton of  this  dramatic  institution,  the  modern  plays  its 
flesh  and  blood. 

For  the  first  season  the  management  will  produce 
twelve  plays  varying  widely  not  only  in  the  countries 
and  the  ages  from  which  they  come,  but  also  in  their 
genre.  Strong,  popular  drama  will  be  welcome,  as 
well  as  the  severest  tragedy,  intelligent  farce  or  re- 
mote, fantastic  comedy,  as  well  as  the  comedy  of 
manners. 

A  distinction  is  to  be  made  between  the  number  of 
productions  and  the  number  of  performances.  The 
best  of  classics  wearies  when  often  repeated.  Noth- 
ing is  gained  by  producing  a  play,  however  great, 
before  mere  upholstery.  And  much  is  lost  by  deny- 
ing the  public  the  opportunity  to  see  a  good  modern 
play,  though  its  permanent  value  may  not  be  ex- 
traordinary. It  is  possible,  and  it  is  strongly  to  be 
desired,  that  a  great  majority  of  the  performances 
shall  be  of  modern  plays. 


D4] 


ORIGINS 

For  the  origin  of  the  movement  of  which  this  reper- 
tory stock  company  is  a  part  we  shall  have  to  look 
backward  almost  a  generation.  The  company  of 
the  Theatre  Frangais  visited  London  and  surprised 
the  countrymen  of  Shakespeare  with  an  object-lesson 
in  what  can  be  done  by  a  stock  organization  trained 
to  a  repertory  of  masterpieces.  Matthew  Arnold 
voiced  the  intelligent  judgment  as  to  the  event:  "We 
have  been  unlucky,  as  we  so  often  are,  in  the  work  of 
organization.  .  .  .  The  pleasure  we  have  had  in  the 
visit  of  the  French  company  is  barren,  unless  it  leaves 
us  with  an  impulse  to  [organize  the  theatre],  and 
with  the  lesson  how  alone  it  can  be  rationally  done. 
.  .  .  The  people  will  have  the  theatre ;  then  make  it 
a  good  one.  .  .  .  The  theatre  is  irresistible;  then 
organize  the  theatre!" 

This  plea  did  not  for  decades  make  us  less  "un- 
lucky in  the  work  of  organization."  In  England  the 
movement  toward  a  National  Theatre,  ably  for- 
warded by  Mr.  William  Archer  and  others,  has  as 
yet  had  no  result,  though  a  Shakespeare  memorial 
theatre  is  somewhat  indefinitely  promised.  In 
America  successive  efforts  have  been  made  to  induce 

D53 


Congress  to  grant  an  appropriation  for  the  purpose. 
All  have  been  without  result.  As  a  people  we  under- 
estimate the  value  of  permanently  organized  institu- 
tions, preferring  to  rely  on  a  spontaneous  public 
spirit,  led  by  private  enterprise.  Universities, 
schools  of  art  and  music,  museums,  orchestras,  and 
opera-houses  have  all  been  created  by  individual  ef- 
fort and  private  endowment.  The  drama  alone  has 
been  neglected.  It  is,  as  the  excellent  John  Hare 
once  styled  it,  the  Cinderella  of  the  arts. 

How,  then,  is  our  drama  to  be  effectively  and  per- 
manently organized?  Only  by  the  private  efforts  of 
public-spirited  men.  The  American  citizen  must  do 
for  himself  what  in  France  and  Germany  has  been 
done  by  royalty. 

As  early  as  1891  Mr.  H.  B.  McDowell  founded 
the  Theatre  of  Arts  and  Letters.  All  but  two  of  its 
productions  failed,  and  these  were  one-act  plays 
from  men  who  were  close  students  of  the  Continental 
drama  and  who  had  already  made  a  place  on  the 
commercial  stage— Brander  Matthews  and  Clyde 
Fitch.  The  other  productions  were  chiefly  notable 
as  showing  that  able  novelists  are  not  necessarily 
playwrights.  Yet  the  Theatre  of  Arts  and  Letters 
deserves  to  be  remembered  as  a  pioneer  effort  in  an 
undertaking  as  difficult  as  it  is  worthy. 

In  1897  the  Criterion,  an  advanced  periodical  in 
which  Mr.  J.  I.  C.  Clarke  was  a  leading  spirit,  pro- 
vided funds  for  producing  a  series  of  plays,  mainly 
representing  the  modern  school  on  the  Continent. 
Associated  with  this  venture  was  Mr.  Charles  Henry 
Meltzer,  who  had  already  made  a  stand  for  "ad- 
vanced" art  in  producing  Hauptmann's  "Hannele." 
Mr.  John  Blair  was  among  its  actors.     It  had  scant 


success.  In  1899  the  eminent  Berlin  interpreter  of 
Ibsen,  Emanuel  Reicher,  was  in  New  York.  Mr. 
Meltzer  induced  him  to  appear  as  Engstrand  in 
Ibsen's  "Ghosts"  and  persuaded  Miss  Mary  Shaw 
to  play  Mrs.  Alving.  Mr.  Blair  acted  Oswald.  The 
effect  produced  upon  the  small  public  that  care  for 
Ibsen  was  stupendous.  This  emboldened  Mr.  Blair, 
with  the  cooperation  of  Mr.  Meltzer  and  others,  to 
give  a  "Course  of  Modern  Plays"  by  such  dramatists 
as  Ibsen,  Hervieu,  and  Echegaray.  The  result  was 
to  show  that  in  general  the  somewhat  somber  artistic 
drama  of  the  Continent  has  little  appeal  for  our 
public.  In  later  years,  however,  Mrs.  Fiske  and 
Mme.  Nazimova  have  given  successful  productions 
of  Ibsen;  and  William  Faversham  has  successfully 
added  to  his  repertory  an  adaptation  of  Echegaray's 
"El  Gran  Galeotto." 

The  fate  of  these  early  ventures  changed  the  char- 
acter of  the  advance,  but  did  not  check  it.  Ten 
years  ago  William  Archer  delivered  a  lecture  here 
advocating  a  National  Theatre  on  the  lines  of  the 
Theatre  Frangais.  Since  then  it  has  been  recognized 
that  the  backbone  of  any  artistic  advance  must  be  a 
resident  repertory  stock  company. 

In  1904  an  association  was  formed  among  the 
leading  New  York  playwrights  and  their  friends 
which  labored  to  promote  what  they  called  a  Na- 
tional Art  Theatre.  The  president  was  Mr.  J.  I.  C. 
Clarke,  and  its  members  included  many  men  and 
women  prominent  in  the  dramatic  world,  notably  the 
late  Bronson  Howard.  They  pleaded  their  cause 
eloquently  and  issued  an  able  official  organ  for  the 
promulgation  of  their  ideas.  But  they  failed  to  get 
the  necessary  financial  backing. 

D73 


The  world  did  not  stop  thinking  and  hoping.  In 
New  York  a  movement  was  slowly  taking  form 
toward  what  was  called  a  New  Theatre.  In  Chicago 
the  idea  was  pushed  more  vigorously.  The  New 
Theatre  there  opened  in  October,  1906.  The  found- 
ers very  wisely  abandoned  the  idea  that  a  theatre 
could  be  maintained  merely  by  producing  advanced 
and  so-called  literary  plays.  To  "El  Gran  Galeotto" 
and  Hauptmann's  "Elga"  they  added  standard 
French  and  English  plays,  and  two  new  American 
pieces,  one  of  them  a  popular  melodrama.  But 
their  entire  capital  was  some  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars. They  had  only  a  temporary  theatre,  and  they 
could  not  afford  to  secure  actors  of  the  first  rank. 
Many  good  actors  whom  they  might  have  secured 
were  tied  up  by  contracts  with  commercial  managers. 
A  blight  was  cast  on  the  whole  enterprise  which 
killed  it  before  the  season  ended. 

The  promoters  of  The  New  Theatre  in  New  York 
had  foreseen  the  futility  of  these  various  attempts 
and  held  aloof  from  them.  Together  with  complex 
and  far-reaching  benefits,  they  realized  there  were 
almost  equally  complex  and  far-reaching  difliculties. 

There  was  already  in  New  York  a  valuable  object- 
lesson.  The  German-speaking  population  is  larger 
than  in  any  city  of  the  world  except  Berlin  and  possi- 
bly Vienna,  and  it  supports  a  German  theatre  of  the 
type  familiar  in  all  the  cities  of  the  Fatherland. 
Here  Shakespeare,  Schiller,  and  Gothe  are  played 
turn  about  with  the  latest  problem  play,  light  opera, 
and  farce;  and  much  of  the  stage  management  and 
acting  is  superlatively  good.  For  a  decade  and  more 
a  number  of  New  York  dramatic  critics  used  the 
German  theatre  to  club  a  sense  of  the  situation  into 


Co^yixg-ht,  igOQ.  by  P.  F.  Collie 


the  heads  of  the  public.  The  German  theatre  be- 
came a  famihar  delight  to  intelligent  playgoers. 

The  director,  Heinrich  Conried,  became  widely 
known  as  the  most  artistic  manager  in  the  country. 
When  the  Metropolitan  Opera  was  in  need  of  a 
director,  Herr  Conried,  though  neither  a  musician 
nor  a  musical  impresario,  was  chosen. 

Herr  Conried  began  life  as  a  scene-shifter  In  the 
magnificent  Hofburg  Theater  of  Vienna,  and  alone 
among  the  business  men  of  the  American  dramatic 
world  had  a  knowledge  of  and  a  reverence  for  the 
majestic  traditions  that  had  grown  out  of  the  house 
of  Moliere.  He  had  always  warmly  advocated  the 
possibilities  of  an  English  theatre  on  similar  lines. 
It  is  probable  that  when  he  accepted  his  operatic  post 
he  regarded  it  partly  as  a  means  toward  the  found- 
ing of  The  New  Theatre.  Certainly  it  was  he  who 
Induced  the  gentlemen  who  for  years  have  given  New 
York  its  opera  to  embark  in  a  similar  enterprise  in 
behalf  of  the  drama.  A  leading  spirit  in  the  enter- 
prise was  Mr.  Charles  Barney,  who  became  the  first 
president  of  The  New  Theatre.  Mr.  Conried  was 
not  destined  to  become  its  first  director.  His,  how- 
ever, is  the  credit  of  setting  the  enterprise  on  foot. 


1^91 


THE  BUILDING 

As  the  result  of  a  competition  among  leading  Ameri- 
can architects,  the  building  of  the  theatre  was 
awarded  to  the  firm  of  Carrere  &  Hastings.  The 
New  Theatre  differs  radically  in  type  from  other 
English  and  American  playhouses.  Not  only  stage 
and  auditorium  but  all  features  conducive  to  the  mis- 
sion of  the  institution  and  the  convenience  of  the  pub- 
lic—  foyer,  circulation,  grand  staircases,  retiring-  and 
cloak-rooms,  library,  buffet,  elevators,  and  roof- 
garden —  are  regarded  as  members  of  a  vast  archi- 
tectural unit. 

The  conformation  of  the  auditorium  is  novel.  In- 
stead of  making  this  narrow  and  deep,  as  in  the 
state  and  court  theatres  of  the  Continent,  Messrs. 
Carrere  &  Hastings  followed  the  precedent  of  the 
Wagner  Theater  at  Bayreuth,  making  it  narrow 
and  broad  like  an  outspread  fan.  The  New  Theatre 
is,  however,  much  smaller  than  the  Bayreuth  Opera- 
House,  the  depth  of  the  orchestra  being  no  greater 
than  the  depth  of  the  ordinary  Broadway  theatre, 
as,  for  example,  the  Empire  Theatre. 

The  general  color  scheme  aims  at  quiet  and  dig- 
nified  simplicity    and    a    due    regard   for   tradition. 


Entrance  Floor 


rather  than  at  striking  originality.  The  general  ef- 
fect is  ash-gray  and  gold.  The  relief,  which  has 
been  studied  to  interpret  the  architectural  design,  is 
sometimes  gray  on  a  gold  background  and  sometimes 
gold  on  a  gray  background. 

The  proscenium  is  framed  in  a  wide  border  of 
Connemara  marble,  and  the  curtain  is  made  of  red 
velvet  embroidered  in  colors  and  gold.  The  boxes 
and  foyer  stalls  are  lined  with  this  same  red  velvet, 


while  the  balustrades  in  front  of  the  first  tier  of 
boxes  are  elevated  on  a  Breche  violet  marble  base, 
with  marble  dies  and  capping  to  the  balustrades,  the 
balustrades  themselves  being  of  gold  bronze.  The 
decoration  is  the  work  of  James  Wall  Finn. 

Much  study  has  been  given  to  the  question  of  cir- 
culation, with  the  result  that,  by  means  of  the  sixty- 
eight  exits,  the  most  crowded  auditorium  can  be 
emptied  into  the  streets  in  three  minutes.  On  each 
of  the  three  sides  is  a  large  vestibule  connecting  with 
the  main  circulation  within,  and  with  the  foyer.  At 
each  of  the  corners  in  front  is  a  circular  monumental 
staircase  rising  the  entire  height  of  the  building,  and 
connecting  both  the  main  circulation  and  the  foyer  with 
the  street.  Each  staircase  is  double,  as  are  those  at 
Chambord  and  Blois,  though  the  general  treatment 
and  detail  are  different.  One  of  each  pair  of  staircases 
leads  to  the  boxes,  the  other  to  the  gallery.  The 
foyer  is  an  integral  part  of  the  circulation,  the  very 
center  of  the  social  life  of  the  audience,  and  not,  as 
in  so  many  of  the  great  theatres  of  the  Continent, 
a  cold  and  forbidding  cul-de-sac  which  few  people 
ever  see. 

The  exterior  is  of  a  beautiful  clear  gray  Indiana 
limestone.  The  architecture  is  classical  in  detail  and 
proportions,  and  follows  the  precedent  of  the  Italian 
Renaissance,  suggesting  the  Sansovino  Library  in  the 
Piazza  di  San  Marco,  Venice.  The  fagade  consists 
of  a  high  base,  containing  the  entrances,  and  a  two- 
story  colonnade  crowned  by  a  very  rich  cornice  and 
balustrade.  The  foyer,  which  rises  through  two 
stories,  is  accentuated  on  the  main  front  by  large 
arches  extending  the  full  height  of  the  columns.     It 


has  been  the  purpose  to  make  the  exterior  dignified 
and  yet  expressive  of  the  character  of  a  playhouse. 
The  theatre  fronts  on  Central  Park  West,  occu- 
pying a  full  block  of  200  feet  in  length,  from  Sixty- 
second  to  Sixty-third  Street.  It  runs  back  on  Sixty- 
second  Street  225  feet,  and  200  feet  on  Sixty-third 
Street.  Separated  by  the  width  of  the  park  from 
upper  Fifth  Avenue,  it  adjoins  Columbus  Circle, 
which  is  already  one  of  the  chief  traffic  centers  and 
is  destined  to  become  at  no  distant  time  the  chief 


Foyer  Floor 


theatric  center  of  the  metropolis.  Here  all  the  main 
trolley  lines  of  the  city  converge;  and  here  also  are 
stations  on  both  Subway  and  elevated.  The  theatre 
is  even  more  accessible  from  Brooklyn,  Staten  Island, 
and  New  Jersey  than  the  theatres  of  old  Broadway, 
the  old  "Rialto." 

The  satisfactory  completion  of  the  theatre  would 
have  been  impossible  without  the  most  loyal  coopera- 
tion on  the  part  of  all  concerned;  and  it  is  pleasant 
to  be  able  to  record  at  least  the  names  of  a  few  of 
those  whose  skill  has  contributed  to  the  result.  Of 
the  staff  of  Messrs.  Carrere  &  Hastings,  Mr.  H.  C. 
Ingalls  has  had  charge  of  the  details  of  construction, 
and  conducted  the  work  with  unfailing  conscien- 
tiousness and  ability.  Mr.  E.  Castlebert  advised 
in  the  technical  planning.  The  engineering  problems 
have  been  in  charge  of  Mr.  Owen  Brainard,  assisted 
by  Mr.  Arthur  Falkenau.  Messrs.  Pattison  Bros, 
and  Wolff  Bros,  were  consulted  as  experts  in  elec- 
trical construction  and  heating  and  ventilation,  re- 
spectively. And  especial  thanks  are  due  to  Messrs. 
Otto  M.  Eidlitz  &  Sons,  the  builders,  who  have 
erected  a  structure  of  great  complexity,  not  only  with 
unusual  thoroughness,  but  untiring  zeal  and  unerring 
capability. 

The  stage  and  its  equipment  are  adequate  to  the 
unusual  needs  of  a  repertoire  theatre.  Its  width  is 
lOO  feet  between  fly-galleries,  its  height  119  feet  to 
the  gridiron,  and  the  depth  of  the  pit  32  feet  below 
the  stage  level. 

The  mechanical  equipment  of  this  stage  is  un- 
rivaled to-day — at  any  rate,  in  America — and  this 
equipment  is  due  to  the  inventive  genius  and  en- 
gineering skill  of  Mr.  Claude  L.  Hagen,  the  theatre's 

1:24:] 


technical  director.  The  features  of  its  mechanism 
are  too  technical  to  admit  of  brief  description;  but 
they  include  a  Drehbiihne,  or  revolving  stage,  of  new 
design,  an  improved  system  of  counterweights,  and 
an  entirely  original  system  of  "sinks"  and  "bridges." 
The  electric  stage  switchboard,  too— the  instrument 
which  controls  the  play  of  light  upon  the  scenes — is 
also  a  new  invention,  due  to  Mr.  H.  Krantz. 


l^sl 


THE  COMPANY 

OF  the  company  of  The  New  Theatre  the 
following  twenty-eight  players  are  in 
regular  standing;  but  the  personnel  will  be 
altered  or  increased  as  circumstances  warrant. 


A.  E.  ANSON 

Mr.  A.  E.  Anson,  son  of  G.  W.  Anson,  an  English 
actor,  first  appeared  in  1895  in  "Vanity  Fair,"  a 
modern  comedy,  under  Arthur  Cecil  and  Mrs.  John 
Wood.  After  four  years'  absence  from  the  stage  he 
toured  in  "Jim  the  Penman,"  playing  several  parts 
of  importance.  He  has  since  played  sixty  different 
roles,  thirteen  of  which  were  Shakespearian,  includ- 
ing Shylock,  Jaques,  Sir  John  Falstaff,  and  Pistol. 
Among  the  recent  plays  in  which  he  has  been  seen 
are  "The  Walls  of  Jericho,"  "The  Barrier"  with 
Miss  Tempest,  and  "The  Tragedy  of  Man,"  pro- 
duced by  Granville  Barker  at  the  Haymarket  Thea- 


Albert  Bruning 


A.  E.  Anson 


tre,  London.  He  made  his  first  visit  to  America 
in  1905,  supporting  Miss  Allen  in  "The  Talk  of  the 
Town."  He  then  returned  to  London.  He  has 
since  appeared  in  a  variety  of  productions  under 
Vedrenne  and  Barker,  Fred  Terry,  Charles  Froh- 
man,  Arthur  Bourchier,  and  Sir  Herbert  Beerbohm 
Tree.  In  Barrie's  skit  "Punch"  he  played  Super- 
punch. 


CHARLES  BALSAR 

Mr.  Balsar  made  his  first  professional  appearance 
with  Miss  Olga  Nethersole.  He  then  joined  a  Shake- 
spearian company,  playing  the  juvenile  roles.  His 
success  led  to  an  engagement  in  which  he  played 
Romeo  during  a  tour  of  fifty  weeks,  and  to  a  series 
of  stock  company  engagements  in  many  of  the  lead- 
ing American  cities,  during  which  he  played  both 
leading  and  juvenile  roles.  He  then  joined  Mrs. 
Fiske's  company  and  appeared  in  "Leah  Kleschna." 
Later,  in  a  special  production  of  the  play  made  by 
Mr.  Harrison  Grey  Fiske,  he  appeared  as  Paul  Syl- 
vaine,  the  part  created  by  John  Mason.  Last  year 
he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Mason  in  "The  Witch- 
ing Hour." 


LEAH  BATEMAN-HUNTER 

Miss  Bateman-Hunter  is  seventeen  years  old  and 
the  youngest  adult  member  of  the  company.  Four 
generations  of  her  ancestors  have  been  on  the  Eng- 
lish stage.     She  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


George  Harrison  Hunter,  her  mother  being  known 
to  the  public  as  Miss  Sidney  Crowe ;  she  is  the  grand- 
daughter of  Kate  Bateman,  the  great-granddaughter 
of  H.  C.  Bateman,  and  the  great-great-granddaugh- 
ter of  Joe  CowelL  All  have  been  noted  as  players, 
and  Kate  Bateman  was  one  of  the  most  famous 
actresses  of  her  day,  having  appeared  at  the  Boston 
Museum  and  on  the  Continent  as  well  as  in  England. 
Miss  Bateman  made  her  debut  as  an  infant,  and 
before  she  was  seven  she  had  played  half  a  dozen 
exacting  parts  at  the  St.  James  Theatre,  London, 
among  them  Damon  in  "The  Enchanted  Fountain" 
and  Lady  Teazle  in  "The  School  for  Scandal."  In 
recent  years  she  has  appeared  as  The  Little  Brother 
in  Rossetti's  "Sister  Helen,"  as  Arthur  in  "King 
John,"  and  as  Juliet  in  "Romeo  and  Juliet."  She 
played  Juliet  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 


ALBERT  BRUNING 

Mr.  Bruning  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Bernhard  Bruning 
of  Berlin,  a  lifelong  friend  of  Bismarck.  After  leav- 
ing the  Gymnasium,  he  studied  under  Dr.  Schwartz 
of  the  Hofburg  Theater,  Vienna,  who  was  then  lec- 
turing on  dramatic  art  in  Berlin,  and  also  under  Pro- 
fessor Ebel,  a  celebrated  pantomimist.  Owing  to  a 
fortunate  accident  his  first  appearance  in  Berlin  was 
in  the  title  part  in  "Heinrich  Heine"  at  the  Residenz 
Theater.  Because  of  the  excellence  of  his  perform- 
ance he  was  at  once  made  the  leading  juvenile  of 
the  company  at  the  Residenz.  In  the  following 
season  Edwin  Booth  made  his  triumphal  tour  of 
Germany;  and  during  his  engagement  at  the  Resi- 


denz  Theater  Mr.  Bruning  played  Edgar  to  Booth's 
Lear,  Laertes  to  his  Hamlet,  etc.  It  was  through 
Booth's  persuasion  that  he  learned  English  and  came 
to  America,  where  he  became  a  member  of  the  Booth 
and  Barrett  organization.  After  Barrett's  death  Mr. 
Bruning  fell  heir  to  many  of  his  parts,  among  them 
the  Ghost  in  "Hamlet,"  which  he  played  on  the  occa- 
sion of  Booth's  last  appearance.  His  first  prominent 
appearance  in  New  York  was  as  Cloten  in  Margaret 
Mather's  production  of  "Cymbeline,"  at  Wallack's. 
He  supported  Charles  Coghlan  in  "The  Royal  Box" 
and  took  prominent  character  parts  in  Belasco's  pro- 
ductions of  "Zaza,"  "Under  Two  Flags,"  "Du 
Barry,"  and  "The  Darling  of  the  Gods."  He  played 
a  tragic  bit  in  Schnitzer's  "The  Reckoning"  with 
Katherine  Grey,  and  a  long  series  of  Ibsen  char- 
acters ending  with  Mortensgaard  and  Brendel  in 
Mrs.  Fiske's  production  of  "Rosmersholm."  His 
most  recent  as  well  as  his  most  popular  success  was 
as  the  old  singing-master  in  "The  Climax." 


ROWLAND  BUCKSTONE 

Mr.  Buckstone  played  his  first  role  under  the  eye  of 
his  father,  Baldwin  Buckstone,  during  a  tour  of  the 
English  provinces  in  1877.  He  supported  the  Chip- 
pendales for  three  seasons,  playing  Bob  Acres,  Tony 
Lumpkin,  Dolly  Spanker,  and  kindred  parts.  His 
first  London  engagement  was  under  the  management 
of  Kate  Bateman  at  Sadler's  Wells  Theatre.  Later 
he  supported  the  elder  Boucicault  and  Fanny  Daven- 
port, In  1884  he  came  to  America  and  appeared  in 
"Impulse"  and  "The  Colonel"  at  the  old  Fifth  Ave- 


nue  Theatre.  He  then  joined  Lester  Wallack's  com- 
pany, appearing  in  many  of  his  productions.  In  1887 
he  supported  Clara  Morris;  and  has  since  been  a 
member  of  the  company  of  E.  H.  Sothern. 


JESSIE  BUSLEY 

Miss  Busley  first  appeared  in  1894  in  "Charley's 
Aunt."  In  "The  Two  Vagrants"  she  created  the  role  of 
theboyFan  Fan.  Later  she  joinedthe  Empire  Theatre 
stock  company.  Among  the  parts  which  she  has  cre- 
ated are  the  listening  girl  in  "The  Manoeuvers  of 
Jane,"  the  music-hall  singer  in  "Hearts  are  Trumps," 
and  the  hoyden  in  "Sky  Farm."  In  Barrie's  comedy 
"The  Admirable  Crichton"  she  created  the  role  of 
Tweeney ;  and  in  "Little  Mary"  she  created  the  lead- 
ing part  of  Moira  Loney.  In  Augustus  Thomas's 
farce  "Mrs.  Leffingwell's  Boots,"  she  played  the 
Irish  girl.  In  1 906-1 908  she  started  in  Channing 
Pollock's  dramatization  of  "In  the  Bishop's  Car- 
riage." 

LOUIS  CALVERT 

Mr.  Calvert  joins  The  New  Theatre  company  in  the 
dual  capacity  of  actor  and  producer.  He  was  born 
in  Manchester,  England,  in  1859.  His  father, 
Charles  Calvert,  was  a  well-known  theatrical  pro- 
ducer. He  made  his  first  appearance  at  the  Theatre 
Royal,  Durban,  Natal,  in  1878.  He  returned  to 
England  in  1880.  In  1886  he  appeared  at  Drury 
Lane  in  "A  Run  of  Luck,"  and  in  1887  with  Irv- 

[30] 


Rowland  Buckstone 


Louis  Calvert 


ing  at  the  Lyceum.  He  formed  his  own  com- 
pany in  1890,  and  produced  a  large  number 
of  Shakespeare's  plays,  Browning's  "Blot  on  the 
'Scutcheon,"  Goethe's  "Clavigo,"  Ibsen's  "Rosmer- 
sholm,"  and  "The  Enemy  of  the  People."  He 
assisted  Beerbohm  Tree  in  some  of  his  Shakespeare 
productions,  notably  "Julius  Caesar,"  in  which  and 
in  other  plays  he  has  acted  at  His  Majesty's.  In 
1900  he  staged  "Cyrano  de  Bergerac"  at  Wynd- 
ham's.  In  1905,  under  the  Vedrenne-Barker  man- 
agement at  the  Court  Theatre,  he  played  John 
Broadbent  in  "John  Bull  and  His  Other  Island," 
the  waiter  in  "You  Never  Can  Tell,"  and  the  can- 
non-maker in  "Major  Barbara."  In  1906  he  took 
The  New  Theatre  for  the  autumn  season,  and  pro- 
duced the  comic  opera  "Amasis."  During  1908  he 
appeared  at  the  St.  James  as  James  Mortimore  in 
Pinero's  "Thunderbolt,"  at  the  Aldwych  as  Captain 
Williams  in  "Paid  in  Full,"  and  at  the  Lyric  as 
Pistol  in  "Henry  V."  He  has  played  parts  ranging 
from  Harold  Armitage  in  "The  Lights  o'  London," 
to  Svengali  in  "Trilby."  His  most  celebrated  Shake- 
spearian character  is  Falstaff  in  "Henry  IV."  On 
one  occasion,  in  a  single  evening,  he  appeared  as 
the  Boy,  Scroop,  the  Constable  of  France,  Bates, 
Captain  Jamy,  and  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  in 
"Henry  V." 

ROSE  COGHLAN 

Miss  Coghlan  made  her  debut  in  Greenock,  Scotland, 
and  presently  appeared  in  London  with  Henry  Irv- 
ing, John  L.  Toole,  Charles  Matthews,  and  Adelaide 
Neilson.     She  made  her  American  debut  at  Wal- 

13^ 


lack's  Theatre  as  Mrs.  Honneyton  in  "The  Happy 
Pair,"  and  afterward  played  with  E.  A.  Sothern  in 
"Lord  Dundreary."  She  returned  to  England  to 
play  Viola  in  "Twelfth  Night,"  in  a  big  production 
by  Charles  Calvert.  In  the  next  three  years  she 
played  all  the  leading  Shakespearian  roles  in  the  com- 
pany of  Barry  Sullivan.  Returning  to  America,  this 
time  for  good,  she  held  the  position  of  leading  wo- 
man at  Wallack's  for  ten  years.  Her  most  success- 
ful roles  were  in  "Diplomacy,"  "The  School  for 
Scandal,"  "A  Scrap  of  Paper,"  "As  You  Like  It," 
"Forget-me-not,"  "La  Belle  Rousse,"  "The  Money 
Spinner,"  "The  Silver  King,"  "The  Cape  Mail," 
"Masks  and  Faces,"  "Moths,"  "Lady  Clare,"  "Lon- 
don Assurance,"  and  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer."  For 
eight  years,  beginning  in  1888,  she  appeared  as  a 
star,  her  productions  including  "Jocelyn,"  "Lady 
Barter,"  "Dorothy's  Dilemma,"  "Nance  Oldfield," 
"A  Woman  of  No  Importance,"  "The  Check  Book," 
"Peg  Woffington,"  "No  Nemesis,"  "For  the  Crown," 
and  "Madame."  For  three  years,  beginning  in 
1896,  she  played  in  Drury  Lane  melodrama  — "The 
Sporting  Duchess,"  "The  White  Heather,"  and 
"The  Great  Ruby."  Since  then  she  has  toured  the 
South  and  West,  appearing  in  "Peg  Woffington," 
"A  Woman  of  No  Importance,"  "Miss  Moulton," 
"The  Second  Mrs.  Tanqueray,"  "The  Greatest  Thing 
in  the  World,"  "Diplomacy,"  "The  Duke  of  Killi- 
crankie,"  and  "Mrs.  Warren's  Profession."  In  the 
production  of  Stephen  Phillips's  "Ulysses"  at  the 
Garden  Theatre  she  gave  a  poetic  rendering  of  the 
part  of  Penelope,  and  more  recently  took  a  broad 
comedy  part  in  John  Drew's  production  of  "Jack 
Straw." 

1:323 


Ferdinand  Gottschalk 


Pedro  de  Cordoba 


PEDRO  DE  CORDOBA 

Mr.  de  Cordoba  began  his  professional  career  with 
Mr.  E.  H.  Sothern  and  remained  with  him  four  years, 
the  latter  two  being  under  the  Sothern-Marlowe 
management.  He  has  also  been  in  the  company  of 
Miss  Cecilia  Loftus,  and  with  Mr.  Rowland  Buck- 
stone  in  "Scrooge."  During  the  past  year  he  played 
the  leading  parts  in  "The  Three  of  Us"  and  "Merely 
Mary  Ann." 


HARRIET  OTIS  DELLENBAUGH 

Mrs.  Dellenbaugh  is  a  descendant  of  James  Otis  and 
wife  of  the  author  and  artist  Frederick  S.  Dellen- 
baugh. She  has  always  been  an  amateur  of  the 
drama  and  of  acting;  but  she  did  not  appear  pro- 
fessionally upon  the  stage  until  seven  years  after 
her  marriage,  when  she  joined  the  company  of  the 
late  Felix  Morris.  She  remained  with  him  two 
years,  playing  leading  parts  in  "The  Rose,"  "The 
Best  Man,"  "Kerry,"  and  other  plays.  She  then  gave 
up  the  stage,  but  returned  seven  years  ago.  Since 
then  she  has  played  prominent  parts  in  "The  Girl 
and  the  Judge,"  "The  Girl  with  the  Green  Eyes," 
"The  Younger  Mrs,  Fading,"  "The  Secret  of  Po- 
lichinelle,"  "Business  is  Business,"  "The  Walls  of 
Jericho,"  "All  for  a  Girl,"  and  "The  Man  of  the 
Hour." 

[33] 


BEATRICE  FORBES-ROBERTSON 

Miss  Forbes-Robertson  is  the  daughter  of  Ian 
Forbes-Robertson  and  niece  of  Johnston  Forbes- 
Robertson,  both  well  known  to  American  playgoers. 
She  studied  sculpture,  but  gave  it  up  to  appear  with 
Sir  Henry  Irving  in  his  revival  of  "Robespierre." 
She  has  played  under  Sir  Herbert  Tree,  Sir  Charles 
Wyndham,  Sir  John  Hare,  George  Alexander,  and 
Arthur  Bourchier.  She  has  played  Ophelia,  Des- 
demona,  and  other  leading  Shakespearian  parts  with 
Forbes-Robertson,  and  Ophelia  with  Sir  Herbert 
Tree.  She  played  Muriel  Eden  in  the  revival  of 
"The  Gay  Lord  Quex"  with  the  original  cast,  and  in 
1903  created  the  part  of  Marian  Allerdyce  in 
Pinero's  "Letty."  In  1907  she  came  to  America  as 
a  member  of  Ellen  Terry's  company.  She  has  since 
appeared  here  in  "The  Morals  of  Marcus,"  and  in 
"The  Mollusk."  She  is  the  author  of  two  pastoral 
plays  which  have  been  produced  in  London. 


FERDINAND  GOTTSCHALK 

Mr.  Gottschalk  was  born  in  London.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  London  College  and  under  a  private 
tutor  in  Germany.  He  first  appeared  professionally 
with  Rosina  Vokes  in  1887  in  an  American  tour. 
He  has  since  played  over  seventy  roles  in  England 
and  in  America.  Among  the  plays  in  which  he  has 
appeared  are  "The  Circus  Rider,"  "A  Pantomime 

1:34: 


Ben  Johnson 


William  McV'ay 


Rehearsal,"  "The  Paper  Chase,"  "The  Amazons," 
"An  Ideal  Husband,"  "The  Charity  Ball,"  "The 
Benefit  of  the  Doubt,"  "The  Squire  of  Dames,"  "The 
Prisoner  of  Zenda,"  "Sowing  the  Wind,"  "Liberty 
Hall,"  "Never  Again,"  "The  Manoeuvers  of  Jane," 
"The  Climbers,"  "The  Duke  of  Killicrankie," 
"Widowers'  Houses,"  and  "My  Wife."  Though 
usually  cast  in  comedy  parts,  he  assumed  a  tragic 
role  in  "The  Triangle"  in  1906  and  created  a  pro- 
found impression  by  the  ripeness  and  subtlety  of  his 
art. 


BEN  JOHNSON 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  in 
1866.  After  a  period  of  very  valuable  experience 
in  the  local  stock  company  under  Barton  Hill  he 
came  to  New  York  in  1889  and  was  engaged  by  the 
late  A.  M.  Palmer  to  support  Tomasso  Salvini. 
After  this  engagement  Mr.  Johnson  was  associated 
with  the  younger  Salvini  for  five  years,  playing, 
among  other  roles,  Richelieu  in  "The  Three  Guards- 
men," and  the  Ghost  in  "Hamlet."  Later  he  joined 
Richard  Mansfield's  company,  appearing  in  char- 
acter parts,  such  as  Gratiano  in  "The  Merchant  of 
Venice,"  Catesby  in  "Richard  III,"  and  Dr.  Lanyon 
in  "Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde."  Especially  note- 
worthy was  his  creation  of  the  Rev.  Anthony  Ander- 
son in  "The  Devil's  Disciple."  Among  his  recent 
creations  are  the  sympathetic  character  part  of  Jim- 
sey  Smith  in  "Paid  in  Full"  and  The  Spider  in  "The 
Only  Law." 


ELSIE  HERNDON  KEARNS 

Miss  Kearns  was  born  in  Brooklyn  in  1884.  She 
graduated  from  Smith  College  in  1906,  and  in  1908 
entered  the  American  Academy  of  Dramatic  Arts. 
In  the  following  winter  she  became  a  member  of  the 
faculty  of  Smith  College,  teaching  elocution. 


THAIS  LAWTON 

Miss  Lawton  was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 
made  her  first  appearance  there  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen as  Galatea.  She  was  presently  engaged  as  lead- 
ing woman  by  James  O'Neil.  Following  this  she 
played  leading  roles  in  the  stock  companies  of  the 
Alcazar  Theatre,  San  Francisco,  and  the  Belasco 
Theatre,  Los  Angeles.  After  the  San  Francisco 
earthquake  she  became  a  member  of  the  stock  com- 
pany at  the  Castle  Square  Theatre,  Boston,  playing 
leading  roles.  Joining  Mr.  Henry  Miller's  com- 
pany, she  played  the  heroine  in  "The  Great  Divide" 
and  created  the  leading  role  in  William  Vaughn 
Moody's  latest  drama,  "The  Faith  Healer." 


WILLIAM  McVAY 

After  studying  under  Thomas  Duff,  Mr.  McVay 
made  his  professional  debut  in  the  West  in  1880 
with  the  Walters  Dramatic  Company.     Since  then 


he  has  played  a  great  variety  of  engagements,  rang- 
ing from  Buffalo  Bill's  company  in  "A  Prairie  Waif" 
to  Mary  Anderson's  company  in  "Romeo  and  Juliet." 
He  has  played  many  prominent  Shakespearian  parts, 
including  Cymbellne,  Mercutio,  Dogberry,  and 
Jaques, andhasstarredasOthello.  Inmodernplayshis 
most  recent  performances  have  been  as  the  Ingenuous 
German  youth  in  Nat  Goodwin's  production  of  "The 
Genius,"  and  as  the  German  judge,  Reinhardt,  in 
"The  Builders."  Last  season  Mr.  McVay  played 
General  Griffin  in  "The  Warrens  of  Virginia." 


JULIA  MARLOWE 

Miss  Marlowe's  first  stage  appearance  was  at  Iron- 
ton,  Ohio,  in  1882,  as  a  sailor  In  the  juvenile  "H.M.S. 
Pinafore"  company.  Subsequently  she  played  Joseph 
Porter  in  the  same  organization.  A  series  of  comic 
opera  roles  followed,  after  which  she  toured  in 
"Romeo  and  Juliet,"  "Twelfth  Night,"  and  "Pygma- 
lion and  Galatea."  She  then  left  the  stage  and  for 
three  years  studied  under  Ada  Dow.  She  reap- 
peared as  a  star,  touring  under  the  direction  of  R. 
E.  J.  Miles.  Her  career  as  an  actress  of  note  began 
with  her  New  York  debut  in  1887  as  Parthenia.  In 
the  same  year  she  appeared  as  Juliet  and  as  Viola. 
Since  then  she  has  played  almost  continually  In  the 
higher  type  of  modern  plays  and  In  Shakespeare. 
Among  her  notable  creations  are  Rosalind,  Julia  In 
"The  Hunchback,"  Galatea,  Imogen  in  "Cymbe- 
llne," Charles  Hart  in  "Rogues  and  Vagabonds," 
Kate  Hardcastle  In  "She  Stoops  to  Conquer."  and 
the  title  role  in  Clyde  Fitch's  "Barbara  Frietchle." 

D73 


In  1 90 1  she  appeared  as  Mary  Tudor  in  "When 
Knighthood  was  in  Flower."  In  the  autumn  of  1904 
she  became  co-star  with  Mr.  Sothern.  Her  recent 
performances  are  too  well  known  to  need  enumera- 
tion here. 

HARRY  MELICK 

Mr.  Melick  made  his  first  professional  appearance 
in  1906  in  a  two-part  vaudeville  sketch,  "Her  Burg- 
lar." In  William  Morris's  production  of  "Mrs. 
Temple's  Telegram"  he  played  the  English  Captain. 
In  1907  he  appeared  as  Angel  Clare  in  Mrs.  Fiske's 
revival  of  "Tess  of  the  D'Urbervilles."  His  latest 
appearance  was  with  Marie  Doro  in  "The  Richest 
Girl." 

WILFRID  NORTH 

Mr.  North  is  associated  with  the  New  Theatre  both 
as  actor  and  producer.  He  first  appeared  on  the 
stage  in  1890,  having  given  up  the  practice  of  law 
in  Seguin,  Texas.  He  became  prominent  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Mrs.  Fiske's  company,  in  which  he  played  a 
number  of  parts,  beginning  with  the  yokel,  Jona- 
than, in  "Tess  of  the  D'Urbervilles,"  and  ending 
with  Dobbin  in  "Becky  Sharp."  During  the  two 
following  seasons  he  was  in  Miss  Marlowe's  com- 
pany, and  afterward  supported  Miss  Isabel  Irving  as 
Stephen  Brice  in  "The  Crisis."  Then  he  took  up  the 
work  of  producing,  which  he  prefers  to  acting.  As 
coach  of  the  Harvard  Dramatic  Club  last  year,  he 
put  on  their  fall  and  their  spring  productions.     In 

13^1 


Harry  Melick 


Wilfrid  North 


Miss  Maude  Adams's  production  of  "Joan  of  Arc" 
in  the  Harvard  Stadium  he  played  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy. 

BEVERLY  SITGREAVES 

Miss  Sitgreaves  first  appeared  in  a  "walk-on"  part 
with  Richard  Mansfield.  She  rose  gradually  and 
has  played  leading  parts  with  well-known  actors 
here  and  abroad.  From  London  she  went  on  a  star- 
ring tour  in  South  Africa,  and  later  became  leading 
woman  at  the  Theatre  Anglais,  Paris.  She  returned 
to  London  for  a  season  at  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre, 
and  then  came  back  to  America  to  appear  in  Tol- 
stoy's "Resurrection."  She  has  since  played  with 
Miss  Julia  Marlowe,  Mr.  Kyrle  Bellew,  Miss  Mar- 
garet Anglin,  Miss  Blanche  Walsh,  and  Miss  Olga 
Nethersole.  While  abroad  Miss  Sitgreaves  made  a 
reputation  as  an  impersonator  of  Duse  and  Bern- 
hardt in  several  of  their  famous  roles. 


MRS.  SOL  SMITH 

Mrs.  Sol  Smith  is  seventy-nine  years  old,  having  been 
born  in  1830,  and  is  the  oldest  member  of  The  New 
Theatre  Company.  Her  father  was  William  H. 
Sedley  (Smith),  manager  of  the  Boston  Museum. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  she  appeared  as  Juliet  in  an 
amateur  performance.  Charlotte  Cushman  was 
present  and  begged  permission  to  take  the  child 
abroad  to  be  educated  for  the  stage.  Though  reared 
in  the  atmosphere  of  the  theatre,  her  ruling  inclina- 

[39] 


tlon  was  for  private  life.  But  after  her  marriage  in 
1850  it  became  necessary  to  support  herself  and  her 
children.  She  made  her  first  professional  appear- 
ance in  1862  as  Margery  in  "The  Rough  Diamond," 
with  J.  E.  Owens  as  Cousin  Joe,  in  a  benefit  given  to 
E.  L.  Davenport.  During  her  long  career  she  has 
appeared  with  Laura  Keene,  Mrs.  John  Wood,  Wil- 
liam Stuart,  Edwin  Booth,  Dion  Boucicault,  Lester 
Wallack,  Mrs.  Fiske,  Adelaide  Neilson,  and  others. 


EDWARD  H.  SOTHERN 

Mr.  Sothern,  son  of  E.  A.  Sothern,  was  born  in  New 
Orleans  in  1859.  He  was  educated  abroad  and  re- 
turned to  America.  He  made  his  stage  debut  at  the 
Park  Theatre,  New  York,  at  the  age  of  twenty.  His 
first  role  was  the  Cabman  in  his  father's  production 
of  "Brother  Sam."  He  played  for  three  months  in 
the  Boston  Museum  and  then  became  associated  with 
the  late  John  E.  McCullough.  His  first  London  ap- 
pearance was  in  1881,  as  Mr.  Sharpe  in  "False 
Colors,"  and  also,  on  the  same  evening,  as  Marshley 
Bittern  in  "Out  of  the  Hunt."  He  returned  to  Mr. 
McCullough's  company  in  1883.  As  a  star  he  has 
played  in  a  wide  range  of  parts,  notably  in  "Lord 
Chumley,"  "The  Prisoner  of  Zenda,"  "An  Enemy  to 
the  King,"  "The  Lady  of  Lyons,"  and  "The  Sunken 
Bell."  His  first  performance  in  "Hamlet"  was  in 
1900.  In  1 901  he  played  Richard  Lovelace  in  the 
play  by  that  name,  and  Francois  Villon  in  "If  I  Were 
King."  He  appeared  in  "The  Proud  Prince"  in 
1903,  and  the  following  year  became  associated  with 
Miss  Marlowe.     Since  then  Mr.  Sothern  has  played 

1:403 


Henry  Stanford 


Edward  H.  Sothern 


Romeo,  Petruchio,  Hamlet,  Shylock,  Malvolio,  Don 
Quixote,  and  D'Alengon  in  Percy  Mackaye's  ''Jeanne 
d'Arc." 

HENRY  STANFORD 

Mr.  Henry  Stanford  was  born  in  Ramleh,  Egypt. 
He  began  acting  in  provincial  traveling  companies, 
playing  juvenile  parts  in  "The  Silver  King,"  "Har- 
bor Lights,"  and  other  popular  dramas.  He  ad- 
vanced to  leading  roles  and  made  his  way  to  London. 
There  he  understudied  Sir  Charles  Wyndham  in 
"The  Home  Secretary,"  and  afterward  played  Sir 
Charles's  part  on  tour.  In  1897  he  went  to  South 
Africa,  and  during  an  engagement  at  Johannesburg 
interpreted  leading  roles  in  twenty-two  London  suc- 
cesses. Returning  to  England,  he  became  associated 
with  Sir  Henry  Irving  and  Miss  Ellen  Terry.  He 
came  to  America  with  them,  remained  and  played  in 
"The  Forest  Lovers"  and  "Sweet  and  Twenty." 
Later  he  rejoined  Irving's  company  and  remained 
with  it  until  Sir  Henry's  death.  Last  year  he  sup- 
ported Miss  Eleanor  Robson  in  "The  Dawn  of  a 
To-morrow." 

VIDA  SUTTON 

Miss  Sutton  was  born  of  English  parents  in  Oak- 
land, California.  She  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  taking  a  master's  degree  in  the 
department  of  literature.  She  made  her  first  reputa- 
tion as  Maire  in  William  Butler  Yeats's  "Land  of 
the  Heart's  Desire."  The  following  season  she  ap- 
peared as  Mildred  in  Browning's  "The  Blot  on  the 

[41] 


'Scutcheon,"  and  as  Colombe  In  "Colombe's  Birth- 
day." For  the  past  two  years  she  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Donald  Robertson  Company  of  Players  of 
Chicago,  and  has  appeared  in  a  repertory  of  plays  by 
Moliere,  Voltaire,  Goldoni,  Pailleron,  Ibsen,  and 
Echegaray.  During  the  past  summer  she  has  given 
dramatic  recitals  at  Columbia  University. 


MASTER  JOHN  TANSEY 

Master  Tansey  is  the  youngest  member  of  the  New 
Theatre  Company.  At  the  age  of  two  he  became  a 
prominent  member  of  Mr.  Nat  C.  Goodwin's  com- 
pany. From  that  time  he  has  been  much  before  the 
public,  supporting  many  stars  of  note  and  playing 
many  conspicuous  roles.  Recently  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  De  Wolf  Hopper,  Miss  Olga  Neth- 
ersole,  and  Miss  Mary  Mannering. 


JACOB  WENDELL,  JR. 

Mr.  Wendell  comes  to  The  New  Theatre  from  the 
amateur  stage,  where  he  has  had  a  long  and  varied 
experience.  While  an  undergraduate  at  Harvard  he 
sang  and  played  in  the  A  KE  and  the  Hasty  Pudding 
productions,  being  particularly  remembered  for  his 
Sir  Andrew  Aguecheek  in  the  drinking  scene  from 
"Twelfth  Night."  Leaving  Harvard  with  the  class 
of  1 89 1,  he  returned  to  New  York  and  joined  the 
Amateur  Comedy  Club.  Since  then  he  has  appeared 
in  most  of  its  productions,  which  have  included  many 
of  the  standard  dramas  and  a  great  variety  of  the 

1:423 


Cecil  Yapp 


Jacob  Wendell,  Jr. 


popular  successes  of  recent  years.  He  has  long 
been  the  most  noted  amateur  in  New  York,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  ten  years  he  has  repeatedly  been  of- 
fered engagements  by  prominent  managers. 


OLIVE  WYNDHAM 

Miss  Wyndham  obtained  her  first  engagement,  the 
ingenue  part  in  "Raffles"  with  Kyrle  Bellew,  through 
the  interest  and  kindness  of  A.  M.  Palmer.  She 
played  it  throughout  Mr.  Bellew's  second  season, 
and  after  a  summer  stock  engagement  in  Denver 
rejoined  his  company.  She  has  since  played  with 
William  Morris  in  "Sir  Anthony,"  with  Lulu  Glaser 
in  "The  Aero  Club,"  and  with  Walker  Whiteside  in 
"The  Magic  Melody."  In  "The  Man  from  Home," 
with  William  T.  Hodge,  she  created  the  part  of  the 
heroine  and  played  it  throughout  two  seasons. 


CECIL  F.  YAPP 

Mr.  Yapp  was  born  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  but  his 
chief  experience  on  the  stage  has  been  in  London. 
He  appeared  at  His  Majesty's  under  Tree  in  a 
series  of  plays,  including  "Trilby,"  "Much  Ado 
About  Nothing,"  "Richard  II,"  and  "Julius  Caesar." 
For  two  years  he  toured  the  provinces  under  Louis 
Calvert,  playing  prominent  parts  in  modern  comedy. 
Returning  to  London,  he  supported  Mr.  Lewis  Wal- 
ler, Miss  Ellis  Jeffries,  Miss  Violet  Vanbrugh,  and 
Mr.  Herbert  Sleath.  He  also  played  at  the  Adelphl 
under  Mr.  Gaston  Mager's  management  and  at  the 

[433 


Haymarket  under  Mr.  Frederick  Harrison's  man- 
agement. His  most  successful  parts  have  been 
Lively  in  "Sunday"  ;  Lord  Nelson  in  "The  Nelson 
Touch";  Joe  Burton  in  "Admiral  Peters,"  an  adap- 
tation from  W.  W.Jacobs;  and  Shorty  in  the  London 
production  of  "The  Squaw  Man." 


THE  PRODUCING  STAFF 

IN  addition  to  Mr.  Louis  Calvert  and  Mr. 
Wilfrid  North,  who  are  also  members  ot 
the  company,  the  producing  staff  includes  the 
following  gentlemen : 


EDWARD  HAMILTON  BELL 

Mr.  Bell,  art  director  of  The  New  Theatre  was  born 
in  London.  He  was  trained  as  an  artist  in  the  Slade 
School  and  in  the  studio  of  his  uncle.  Sir  Edward  J. 
Poynter,  Bart.,  P.R.A.  He  went  on  the  stage  under 
the  advice  of  W.  S.  Gilbert,  in  one  of  whose  plays 
he  made  his  first  appearance,  in  the  company  of  Sir 
Charles  Wyndham.  He  was  chosen  by  A.  W.  Pinero 
to  play  the  part  of  the  boy,  Cis  Farrington,  in  the 
American  production  of  "The  Magistrate,"  under 
Augustin  Daly,  and  remained  as  a  member  of  Daly's 

[44] 


Frederick  Stanhope 


George  Foster  Piatt 


company.  Later  he  played  for  a  season  with  Mme. 
Modjeska.  He  then  left  the  stage  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  art,  becoming  a  decorator  in  this  city 
and  head  of  the  firm  Hamilton  Bell  &  Company.  He 
has,  however,  maintained  his  connection  with  the 
theatre,  designing  the  scenery  and  costumes  of  many 
notable  productions,  numbering  among  his  clients  Sir 
Henry  Irving,  Maurice  Barrymore,  Lawrence  Bar- 
rett, Augustin  Daly,  William  H.  Crane,  Marie  Wain- 
wright,  Margaret  Mather,  Robert  Taber,  and  Melba. 


GEORGE  FOSTER  PLATT 

Mr.  Piatt  was  an  actor  and  playwright  before  he  be- 
came producer.  While  a  member  of  the  Sargent 
School  of  Acting  he  played  the  Old  Man  in  the 
"Electra"  of  Sophocles.  As  a  member  of  Daniel 
Frohman's  Lyceum  Company  he  played  a  small  part 
in  "The  Marquise,"  and  then  traveled  for  a  season 
in  "Sweet  Lavender."  As  a  member  of  Palmer's 
company  he  appeared  in  Augustus  Thomas's  "Ala- 
bama," and  with  Kate  Claxton  he  appeared  in 
"Pierre."  He  became  manager  of  a  paper-mill  in 
Denver,  but  returned  to  the  stage  in  San  Francisco, 
where  he  began  stage  management,  at  the  A\cR7.a.v 
Theatre.  In  the  following  nine  years,  as  actor  and 
producer,  he  was  associated  with  stock  companies  in 
San  Francisco,  Denver,  St.  Louis,  and  Milwaukee, 
putting  on  about  five  hundred  plays.  He  also  pro- 
duced and  traveled  with  two  plays  of  his  own,  "The 
Master  of  Ceremonies"  and  "Frederick  the  Great," 
with  Lewis   Morrison   as  star.      For  the  last   four 

1:45] 


years  he  has  worked  In  New  York  as  a  producer^ 
among  his  productions  being  "The  Man  on  the  Box," 
"The  Three  of  Us,"  "The  Coming  of  Mrs.  Pat- 
rick," and  "This  Woman  and  That  Man." 


ELLIOTT  SCHENCK 

Mr.  Elliott  Schenck,  musical  director  of  The  New 
Theatre,  is  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Noah  Hunt  Schenck, 
D.D.,  once  rector  of  St.  Ann's  Church,  Brooklyn. 
He  studied  music,  including  theory,  piano,  and  violin, 
at  the  Dresden  Conservatory,  and  then  spent  three 
years  in  Berlin,  where  he  became  proficient  In  compo- 
sition, orchestration,  and  other  branches  of  the  art 
under  Professor  Helnrich  Urban,  teacher  of  Pade- 
rewskl  and  Josef  Hofmann.  The  latter  was  with 
him  at  the  time  and  played  Mr.  Schenck's  com- 
positions in  concert.  On  returning  to  America  Mr. 
Walter  Damrosch  engaged  Mr.  Schenck  as  assistant 
conductor  of  his  German  Opera  Company.  While 
thus  employed  he  conducted  "Lohengrin,"  "Tann- 
hauser,"  "II  Trovatore,"  and  other  standard  works. 
For  two  years  he  conducted  the  musical  festivals  In 
Albany,  and  for  four  summers  conducted  the  daily 
concerts  of  the  New  York  Symphony  Orchestra  at 
Willow  Grove,  Philadelphia.  For  three  years  he 
was  first  conductor  of  the  Savage  Grand  Opera  Com- 
pany, touring  the  country  and  conducting  such  works 
as  "Lohengrin,"  "Carmen,"  "Faust,"  and  "Romeo 
and  Juliet."  Mr.  Schenck  is  widely  known  as  a  lec- 
turer as  well  as  a  conductor  and  composer. 

1:46:] 


FREDERICK  STANHOPE 

Mr.  Stanhope  is  assistant  producer  and  stage  man- 
ager. For  four  years,  from  1904  to  1908,  he  was 
general  manager  of  the  Broadway  Theatre,  London; 
and  for  six  years  he  produced  the  annual  pantomimes. 
In  1906  he  assisted  Mr.  Louis  Calvert  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  Egyptian  comic  opera  "Amasis"  at 
The  New  Theatre,  London,  and  afterward  was  sole 
director  of  the  production  on  tour.  He  has  been 
associated  in  the  management  of  the  Comedy  Thea- 
tre, London,  and  has  managed  many  leading  English 
productions  on  tour. 


1:473 


ODE 

(SUNG   AT   THE    LAVING    OP   THE    CORNER-STONE    TO    MUSIC 

FROM  Gounod's  "redemption") 
BY  PERCY  MACKAYE 


AWAKE,  awake,  awake, 
,   Spirits  of  Aspiration! 
And  hasten  to  renew 
Your  ministering  vows ; 
For  lo!  the  Prince  of  Faery 
Returns  within  \'our  walls. 
Back  from  his  ancient  bright  dominions. 
Awake,  awake,  awake. 
For  he  is  crowned  again. 

But  who  is  he,  the  Prince  of  Faery? 

Of  Hellas  he  was  god,  a  swan  he  was  in  Avon. 

But  who  is  he,  the  Prince  of  Faery? 

Of  little  children  lord,  of  men  and  angels  master: 

Within  the  human  mind  he  rules  the  world. 


[48;] 


fRTTUBRARY 


oT^^ 


THE  NEW  THEATRE 
NEW  YORK 

SATURDAY  AFTERNOON,  NOVEMBER  SIXTH,  1909 


OVERTURE 

"  THE  DEDICATION  OF  THE  HOUSE  " 

BEETHOVEN 

THE  DELIVERY  OF 
THE  KEYS  OF  THE  NEW  THEATRE 

CHORAL  ODE 

WORDS  BY  PERCY  AUCKAYE  TO  IMUSIC 
FROM  GOUNOD'S  "REDEjMPTION" 

ADDRESSES  BY 

HIS  EXCELLENCY  GOVERNOR  HUGHES 

SENATOR  ELIHU  ROOT 

MUSIC 

"  MERRY  WIVES  OF  WINDSOR  "  OVERTURE 

NICOLAI 

HAMLET'S  "ADDRESS  TO  THE  PLAYERS" 

READ  TO  THE  PLAYERS  OF  THE  NEW  THEATRE 
BY  JOHNSTON  FORBES-ROBERTSON 

"AMERICA" 


THE  FOUNDERS  OF 
THE  NEW  THEATRE 


JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR 
GEORGE  F.  BAKER 
EDlVnjND  L.  BAYLIES 
AUGUST  BELMONT 
CORTLANDT  FIELD  BISHOP 
FREDERICK  G.  BOURNE 
ALEXANDER  S.  COCHRAN 
PAUL  D.  CRAVATH 
WM.  B.  OSGOOD  FIELD 
HENRY  CLAY  FRICK 
ELBERT  H.  GARY 
GEORGE  J.  GOULD 
ELIOT  GREGORY 
ARCHER  M.  HUNTINGTON 
JAMES  HAZEN  HYDE 
ERNEST  ISELIN 
ARTHUR  C.  JAMES 
OTTO  H.  KAHN 
W.  DE  LANCY  KOUNTZE 
CLARENCE  H.  MACKAY 
J.  PIERPONT  MORGAN 
JAMES  STILLMAN 
HAIVULTON  McK.  TWOMBLY 
ROB.  B.  VAN  CORTLANDT 
CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT 
W1LLL\M  K.  VANDERBILT 
HENRY  WALTERS 
HARRY  PAYNE  WHITNEY 
M.  ORME  WILSON 
HENRY  ROGERS  WINTHROP 


